If your business is in debt, at a certain point you’ll need to start thinking about how to repay your creditors and this is a predicament every business faces from time to time, hence it is imperative to stay on the top of it and not let things get out of hand. There is a wide range of options that you can choose between, but for many, a debt management plan will be the most attractive and effective, as it allows you to structure your debt in systematic fashion.
While it offers a highly flexible framework through which to approach debt repayment, you might also end up discovering that it won’t always be a suitable option for your needs. To make it easier for you to decide on an option, we’ve decided to examine what a debt management plan actually is, and some key scenarios where it may no longer be a suitable option. This will give you a clearer picture of what exactly needs to be done and decisions need to be made to execute things effectively.
What is a debt management plan?
It is first imperative that you understand what debt management plan is. It is an informal arrangement between a debtor and their creditors, to manage how those debts will be repaid. While they can help to encourage a dialogue between different parties, they offer no legally enforceable protections or prioritisations to either creditors or debtors, which is a very important factor that needs to be kept in mind when considering this option.
As a result, they’re only really suitable in certain situations and might not always be helpful. Whether or not it’s ‘too late’ to pursue this kind of arrangement will depend on a number of other factors. These kinds of plans will need to be managed by an impartial third party with extensive knowledge in debt management, such as Chamberlain & Co. When allowing a professional company to handle debt management, you can be rest assured that the plan that is put forth would be comprehensive and shall be formulated and customized keeping in mind the dynamics of your business and the various other factors surrounding it.
When might it be too late for a debt management plan?
There are a number of reasons why a debt management plan may no longer be an option, let’s have a look at those, you can make a more informed decision as to whether it makes any sense at all to opt for it, in your case-
Too much is at stake
With much larger businesses or organisations, where the future economic health of the company is tied to a large number of jobs and people’s lives, a debt management plan simply won’t be a strong enough agreement. Even if the company is salvageable, another route such as administration will likely be required. This is mainly because there are too many moving parts that need to be taken care of and sorted and hence opting simply for debt management might not work.
Relations have soured
For a debt management plan to function, there still has to be a certain level of trust and goodwill between creditors and their debtors. They need to be confident that, even without legal protections, they will be able to secure repayment from the relevant parties.
If communication has broken down and the relationships have started to sour, it may very well be the case that a more detached and legally enforceable debt repayment scheme is necessary as in this case, only something that is more iron clad might be effective and practical.
The business is barely functional
For a debt management plan to be a viable solution, the business in question still has to be bringing in a certain amount of money and be operational. Regardless of how good the relationship is between creditors and debtors, if money isn’t being made, the debts won’t be repayable.
If this is the case, then it’s possible that something more final like liquidation could be the only real solution. This will ensure that debts don’t rise any further, and will mean that the creditors receive at least some of their debts, while this might be a difficult decision to make, if your business is at such a crossroads, you will have to take actions keeping in mind what is best for you financially.
It’s important that you work together with an insolvency practitioner or other debt management professional in these kinds of situations, so they can provide you will all possible options and paint a clear picture in front of you, so you do not have to contend with issues at a later date. The implications of choosing the wrong debt repayment strategy can be serious, for all parties involved.
